Is Eberle Tradable?

The short answer in my view: yes.

Nobody would deny the Oilers have significant problems. Those problems are so significant that it might be necessary to trade high-end talent from one position to add help at another position. It doesn’t make sense to so that with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, because he’s the only hope the team has as a first-line centre. It doesn’t make sense to do that with Taylor Hall, the best player on the team and the only elite talent at left wing.

That leaves right wing, where Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov both play. In the right deal, either of those guys is moveable – regardless of what the team says. That’s not to say that the team should shop either guy, or that they’re looking to move either of them, but a trade that makes the team better without robbing Peter to pay Paul is plausible, if the guy getting traded plays right wing.

Is Eberle Tradable to Philadelphia?

Again, the short answer in my view: yes.

But there’s a caveat attached. The player has to be a high-end talent right now. That means that no package of Braydon Coburn and/or Wayne Simmonds and/or Scott Hartnell and/or Luke Schenn and/or draft picks and prospects or whatever. Trading down to address immediate need is a good way to kneecap the Oilers long-term. So no third defencemen or big second-line wingers can form the core of a decent Eberle trade.

Does Philadelphia have the high-end talent? I think you can make a case for three players. I don’t think either Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier gets the job done right now. I have a lot of time for Couturier but I’m skeptical about his finishing ability and I think you can get more for Eberle on the open market. Schenn’s only a year younger than Eberle and significantly behind the same career curve.

That leaves Claude Giroux. Giroux is one of the best players in the game today, and for my money he’s a better player than Eberle by a nontrivial margin. He can play centre or wing. He doesn’t address the Oilers’ positional needs, but when an opportunity exists to trade in a very good player for a great player, it’s an opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of. For the Oilers, the possibility of having one line built on Giroux/Hall and another on Nugent-Hopkins/Yakupov long-term would have to be extremely tempting.

Does the opportunity exist? With any other team, I’d say ‘no’; with the Flyers it’s just ‘probably not.’ Giroux is getting killed by the percentages this year (his line is shooting at just over 5 percent and Philadelphia has a 0.875 save percentage with him on the ice at even-strength). The 11.5 percent career shooter has zero goals on 31 shots, as well as a minus-11 rating in 15 games. Most teams would rightly dismiss that as an aberration, but the Flyers are under tremendous pressure and have a history of making quick, franchise-altering moves.

If there’s an opportunity to acquire Claude Giroux, Eberle’s a justifiable cost. Otherwise, it’s hard to see a defensible deal here.

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

How hard is it to find a big, second-line winger? Pretty difficult, right?

Now: How hard is it to find a first line RW who isn't even in the prime of his career yet?

That's why you don't move Eberle for a package centered on Simmonds, no matter how it's sweetened. Trading down, even to address need, hurts the team in the long-term.

There's a reason Chicago kept Patrick Kane and let Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien go. Because it's easier to find Bryan Bicekll and Brandon Saad than it is to find a new Patrick Kane (and, to quickly clarify - Eberle isn't Kane, but the point here is you keep the parts that really matter, not the ones that you can replace).

Normally I'd agree with you.

Unfortunately, we are in a position where the only thing with value on our team/we actually can afford to give up are pieces that nobody wants. As bad as it sounds, we might have no choice but to trade Ebs or someone else for pieces that round out the team better. If Ebs is the piece needed to get a great third liner and a top 4 defenseman, so be it.

philly has a history of tradeing grade "a" talent just before their big contract kicks in. giroux's 8 yr 62.2 million dollar contract starts in the 2014-15 season. two guys on the kings roster have been down this road before. i hope this deal happens.

Cherry picking a deal done by a failure of a GM, doesn't really support your position.

Team needs are team needs. If MacT determines that a bigger scoring winger and a top 4 D man are more crucial to team success than 1 small scoring winger, then i wouldn't be surprised if he makes that deal. Personally i think the flyers would say HELL NO to a Eberle for Simmonds/Coburn deal but i can't be certain of that as i dont get to sit in on the conference calls.

Eberle + Picks for Giroux is just more of the same.. Except Giroux comes with an 8.275 caphit starting right quick here.. And that kind of scratch is attrocious considering the team still needs a #1/2 D and a true #1 goalie.

Philly doesn't have much that interests me. I wouldn't be too interested in a package right now as we are close to the contract cap and have a bit of a logjam up front and on the blueline. If anything we are the team that is ready to put a package together for an upgrade.

I'm not a big fan of either of the Schenn brothers, never have been. Couturier is intriguing but I'm not sold on whether he will be a 2nd line centre or just a really good 3rd line guy. Giroux is obviously off to a terrible start but not long ago he was considered a top 10 talent in the entire league.

Let's face it, if the Oilers received average goaltending this season (say closer to .920) we would not be talking about the rest of the roster and a failed rebuild, so please don't consider breaking up the core on account of 1 month of shoddy goaltending. Fix the goaltending situation by offering future picks.

At this point in the rebuild, one must ask: do we need any more young talent on the roster? In other words, I could go for that. That being said, I feel that people see the way that Edmonton is heading and probably wouldn't want to take just a 1st rounder for instance. Add in the fact that Edmonton is desperate for goaltending and the situation becomes even more frustrating.

Keep the roster as it is and change the system. How many goals have the Oilers scored off the cycle? How often do they have teams hemmed in their end? Not many on both counts, so why do they continually dump the puck in and hope their small forwards can retrieve it with any regularity?

I know MacT is loath to use the trap, but the last time I checked it seemed to work pretty well against Detroit back when they went to the finals.

If you have speedy, smallish, talented forwards you are far better off trapping and creating neutral zone turnovers. Most Oiler goals seem to be scored off the rush and this is exactly what you get when you trap - lots of odd man rushes. No one in the league can complete with the Oilers on their ability to finish odd man rushes, but you'd never know because they are too busy trying to stick check much larger D-men deep in the opponents end.

Screw the forecheck - it's high time Oilers trapped - one guy in, four guys back.

What about a possibility where you trade Giroux to another team for a proven, young top end defenceman? Would Phoenix part with Ekman-Larsson if one of the league's elite offensive talents is on the table?

It would look like:
To Philly: Eberle
To Edmonton: Ekman-Larsson
To Phoenix: Giroux

At this point in the rebuild, one must ask: do we need any more young talent on the roster? In other words, I could go for that. That being said, I feel that people see the way that Edmonton is heading and probably wouldn't want to take just a 1st rounder for instance. Add in the fact that Edmonton is desperate for goaltending and the situation becomes even more frustrating.

Philly doesn't have much that interests me. I wouldn't be too interested in a package right now as we are close to the contract cap and have a bit of a logjam up front and on the blueline. If anything we are the team that is ready to put a package together for an upgrade.

I'm not a big fan of either of the Schenn brothers, never have been. Couturier is intriguing but I'm not sold on whether he will be a 2nd line centre or just a really good 3rd line guy. Giroux is obviously off to a terrible start but not long ago he was considered a top 10 talent in the entire league.

Wayne Simmonds is a whole lot of exactly what we need BUT we should not have to give up Eberle to get him. MacT we're waiting for something here. Give the Oilers faithful something to be excited about we deserve it.

Keep the roster as it is and change the system. How many goals have the Oilers scored off the cycle? How often do they have teams hemmed in their end? Not many on both counts, so why do they continually dump the puck in and hope their small forwards can retrieve it with any regularity?

I know MacT is loath to use the trap, but the last time I checked it seemed to work pretty well against Detroit back when they went to the finals.

If you have speedy, smallish, talented forwards you are far better off trapping and creating neutral zone turnovers. Most Oiler goals seem to be scored off the rush and this is exactly what you get when you trap - lots of odd man rushes. No one in the league can complete with the Oilers on their ability to finish odd man rushes, but you'd never know because they are too busy trying to stick check much larger D-men deep in the opponents end.

Screw the forecheck - it's high time Oilers trapped - one guy in, four guys back.

Willing to try anything at this point. And I've said it before, I've seen Quenneville get his Hawks to sit back in a 1-2-2 at times, though not often.

How about Guy Boucher's 1-3-1? It threw teams for a loop when the first saw it. No Western Conference team has implemented the 1-3-1 so it'd present the same quandry. Might be able to milk that for a while.

What about a possibility where you trade Giroux to another team for a proven, young top end defenceman? Would Phoenix part with Ekman-Larsson if one of the league's elite offensive talents is on the table?

It would look like:
To Philly: Eberle
To Edmonton: Ekman-Larsson
To Phoenix: Giroux

An Eberle for Giroux deal is just running in place while taking a worse contract. I do think there's a possibility Giroux can be a consistent elite player in the NHL putting up 90 points but so far I would only bet on him to be consistent at 70-80. It's a trade we could win, but if we're trading Eberle it should be for a top pairing D or a massive package. Philly doesn't have the D so it would have to be Couturier+ Schenn+

I want B. Schenn, Couturier, and Simmons from Philly, but I'm not sure what to give up now. I was thinking Ebs, Gags and a first, but J-Dub has me wondering now. Ebs hasn't reached his prime and he's already got a 76 point season under his belt. This is why I'm not a GM...

How good is Giroux without the puck in comparison to Eberle? Do you think maybe it could be something like:

Eberle, Omark, and 2nd Rounder for
Giroux and Simmonds?

Obviously biased towards Oilers, but Paul Holmgren.

If edm is going to give up Eberle then they have to address one of there biggest needs. If Philly throws in Simmonds with Giroux the size need has been addressed. I love Eberle but the deal you proposed above would be very very good for Edm.

How hard is it to find a big, second-line winger? Pretty difficult, right?

Now: How hard is it to find a first line RW who isn't even in the prime of his career yet?

That's why you don't move Eberle for a package centered on Simmonds, no matter how it's sweetened. Trading down, even to address need, hurts the team in the long-term.

There's a reason Chicago kept Patrick Kane and let Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien go. Because it's easier to find Bryan Bicekll and Brandon Saad than it is to find a new Patrick Kane (and, to quickly clarify - Eberle isn't Kane, but the point here is you keep the parts that really matter, not the ones that you can replace).

This makes a lot of sense but in the Oilers situation I don't think it applies. The Oilers have three first overall forwards. If we believe in Yakupov, which I know you do, then we don't need to hold on to Eberle for that "first line RW who hasn't entered the prime of his career yet" because that's Yak. Of course if Yakupov isn't that then your statement is correct. The biggest problem with the oilers isn't top end skill it's the depth. I don't think trading Eberle for upgrades in positions 4-7 is a bad idea.

* I'm not really sure this is realistic - probably not. Draft picks and prospects could balance it out as needed. My proposal is less about the specifics, more about using Giroux as a piece to get a top defenseman... The OEL comment involving Giroux above seemed like a pretty good option to me.

Also, I don't know if McDonaugh is that guy - I'm just going on what I've read here over the last few days. My point is we need D or goaltending. If we trade Eb's, we'd better get a major upgrade in one of those areas.

* I'm not really sure this is realistic - probably not. Draft picks and prospects could balance it out as needed. My proposal is less about the specifics, more about using Giroux as a piece to get a top defenseman... The OEL comment involving Giroux above seemed like a pretty good option to me.

Also, I don't know if McDonaugh is that guy - I'm just going on what I've read here over the last few days. My point is we need D or goaltending. If we trade Eb's, we'd better get a major upgrade in one of those areas.

So edmonton Loses Hemsky, Smid and Eberle for Simmonds and McDonagh?

I dont think i'd do that deal..McDonagh is still pretty young and i'll admit i dont know a whole lot about him but i haven't heard he's much of a superstar defenseman.

Wayne Simmonds is a whole lot of exactly what we need BUT we should not have to give up Eberle to get him. MacT we're waiting for something here. Give the Oilers faithful something to be excited about we deserve it.

^for sure! how long do we as fans continue to pay big bucks at Rexall to watch this team continue to lose?

If edm is going to give up Eberle then they have to address one of there biggest needs. If Philly throws in Simmonds with Giroux the size need has been addressed. I love Eberle but the deal you proposed above would be very very good for Edm.

Now that I think more about it that pick will most likely have to be a first rounder

I would rather trade him to e team willing to give up an elite D-man. Eberle for Giroux straight up is not even close. We have to give up more to get him. again, unless there's a team willing to trade an elite d-man or starting goalie. He's not getting traded

No damn way we ever deal this guy especially from a position of weakness . We started the year with weak goaltending that haunts us and way too many injuries this early. Somebody suggested going back to the trap which would improve the defensive support , the swarm highlights all of our flaws including defence, goaltending, wrong players on the pk and bad coaching. Terrible idea .

How hard is it to find a big, second-line winger? Pretty difficult, right?

Now: How hard is it to find a first line RW who isn't even in the prime of his career yet?

That's why you don't move Eberle for a package centered on Simmonds, no matter how it's sweetened. Trading down, even to address need, hurts the team in the long-term.

There's a reason Chicago kept Patrick Kane and let Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien go. Because it's easier to find Bryan Bicekll and Brandon Saad than it is to find a new Patrick Kane (and, to quickly clarify - Eberle isn't Kane, but the point here is you keep the parts that really matter, not the ones that you can replace).

Let me just start this post by saying that Eberle is a guy I'd like to keep, and him and Nuge are the 2 I'd build around over other parts...

Now that being said, if we have an abundance of the same thing, but need a different mix, then we have to trade pieces that are going to seem like we're giving up the best player. I guess the debate is which guy of Hall/Nuge/Ebs/Gags/Yak/Schultz to we get rid of. Which ones are parts that really matter as you say? I'd say Ebs is as tradeable as any of them. What's the return? Well it has to be of equal or greater value than what you're giving up. Simmonds may be of lesser value...but if the combo of top 6 forward with size is so easy, why are we having so much trouble getting it? It seems we're having an easier time getting guys like Ebs than guys like Simmonds. Why are guys like Clarkson getting so much in free trade? There's a value that isn't measureable in just offensive stats (or advanced stats), and that physical stats goes a bit further.

Boston clearly lost the Joe Thornton trade. Who has had the better chance at winning the cup since then? Maybe there's more to these bit pieces than we think. If we were to acquire enough of these bit pieces, that are going to be part of the team long enough, that end up fixing the 3rd and 4th lines or defensive pairings...wouldn't it be worth it?

Everything has a price, and while I wouldn't target Eberle to ship out of town, if there was a deal around Simmonds + + + that had good value to the Oilers, and made them a better 'team' - then I'd do it.

A thought. Downie was traded back to Philly about a week or more ago. Why do you trade for a Downie. You had him? An Eberle trade has some validity if your Philly and looking to restructure your team. 22 goals in 15 games does not add up to a hill of beans. Sure Philly has size and grit. Like LA. But you need finish also. LA wins because they get great goaltending and have enough finish with Kopitar,Richards and Carter.

Philly banked on Shenn,Courtier and Vorachek to provide them with the goals that they lost when they traded away Carter and Richards. Did not work out for them. Now they are floundering with 2-3 year players.

They got bigger but they lack finish and skill.

Eberle along with Giroux would help that team big time.

What the Oilers need from Philly may be pieces that they may turn into what they need now or in the future.

Philly has Colborn. Coutier.Simmonds. Picks and prospects.

The Oilers have Eberle. Hemsky. N.Shultz. Picks and prospects.

If its me doing the dealing I would love to have Simmonds. Colborn and a first round pick plus an A type prospect.

The money has to work for both sides. If I am GM I would make certain I make Holmgren overpay in picks plus the aforementioned players.
Right now. Today. This moment Ed Snider could care less about picks and prospects that will help his team 5 years from now. His anger today is a huge sign for me that says that he is done with this group of players and wants to change his team for better or worse. Either way Holmgren is in a boat load of trouble.

The Oilers need what Philly has. Philly has what the Oilers need. Its a matter of who blinks first and is willing to pay the price.At the draft MacT told Holmgren NO. The tables have turned since then and I think MacT may now have the upper hand in a game of chicken.

The Oilers win tomorrow in Philly and Eberle gets 2 points it will be a fait de accompli.

I dont think i'd do that deal..McDonagh is still pretty young and i'll admit i dont know a whole lot about him but i haven't heard he's much of a superstar defenseman.

I'll admit a lack of knowledge about McDonaugh. My point is still the same - I think Giroux gets us a 1D from a 3rd team, and I'm not sure Eberle does. The rangers seemed like a good example of a team who could benefit from
Giroux. What if we look at it like this:

Team x gets Giroux+
Phi gets Eberle +
Oil get top d-man

Picks, prospects, lower pairing D-men to round out the deal. Ideally we get a Simmonds (type) big winger as well.

That's what I'm trying to get at - only trade Ebs for a massive upgrade at D. My (bad?) example is just that; an example